When I was growing up, the joke about the three main denominations of Judaism was that Reform was lazy, Orthodox was crazy, and Conservative was hazy.
How times have changed. Reform has incorporated more tradition and Hebrew into its services and has maintained its vibrant social action focus, and is no longer “lazy.” Orthodox has become perhaps the most invigorated and invigorating branch, and is no longer “crazy.”
And Conservative . . . well, some things never change.
As Arnold Eisen becomes the seventh chancellor of the Jewish Theological Seminary (the flagship educational institution of the Conservative movement), The Forward invited prominent Conservative leaders to discuss the future of Conservative Judaism. Their remarks — which include contributions by David Wolpe, Harold Kushner, Naomi Levy, Judith Hauptman, Jay Michaelson, Scott Shay, David Ellenson, Elliot Cosgrove and others — appear in “Conservative Judaism at a Crossroads.” There is an equally interesting comment thread that follows the various mini-essays.
Jack Wertheimer, professor of American Jewish history at the Jewish Theological Seminary, has a fascinating, elegantly written article in the September issue of COMMENTARY, entitled “The Perplexities of Conservative Judaism.”
The prior JCI post on David Wolpe’s call to rename the Conservative Movement “Covenantal Judaism” is here.